Bashar Murad

On the cover of his new single »Wild West«, Palestinian singer Bashar Murad wears a cowboy hat covered in bullets – as well as eyeliner and a shiny red and gold suit. An aesthetic mix with quite a few different things going on. Bashar Murad, who competed at Iceland’s national final for the Eurovision Song Contest, draws inspiration from various strains of pop, mostly of the danceable variety, and combines them with influences from his Palestinian heritage – he was even once labelled »The Palestinian Lady Gaga« – which is also evident in his lyrics, in English as well as Arabic. He sings about LGBTQI* rights in the conservative social structures of West Asia and under Israeli occupation – a reality that he doesn’t want to run from, but rather resist, by breaking down stereotypes: »I dressed up and I put it on, hoping I’d fit the scene. Took 30 damn years to figure out, I just gotta be me.«